James Morgans, left, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Lowell J. Soike, of Des Moines, Iowa, look at a painting by artist Wayne Wildcat titled, "The Rescue of John Doy by Abolitionists 1859". Morgans and Soike attended the National Underground Railroad to Freedom Program Conference in Topeka. The Painting is based on a ambrotype photograph taken of the group after they freed Doy from a St. Joseph jail. Doy is shown seated.

Carol Mull was in Topeka for the National Underground Railroad to Freedom Program Conference. Mull, from Michigan, brought her new book that is just off the press called, "The Underground Railroad in Michigan. Topeka is the first place she has sold it.

Professors and historians are doing more than spotlighting on a national level Kansas' contributions to the freedom movement.

They also are using the 2010 National Underground Railroad to Freedom Program Conference to do their own exploration of Topeka and northeast Kansas to unearth and experience for themselves the state's roots — from Underground Railroad locations to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

The conference, taking place at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, 1717 S.W. Topeka Blvd., runs through Saturday.

Quintard Taylor, a professor of American history at the University of Washington (Seattle), gave the keynote address Thursday morning and emphasized the importance of exploring the legacy of blacks' freedom in Kansas because of the state's key role in fighting slavery with abolitionist John Brown and later tackling segregation in the Brown v. Board case.

"It's not just your story," Taylor said, "it's a story that inspires people around the world."

Taylor said he doesn't consider himself an expert on Kansas history, but does want to use a portion of his time in town to gain a better understanding. He planned to visit the Brown v. Board site on Thursday after the conference.

Carol Mull, who has researched the Underground Railroad in Michigan for 10 years, said she hasn't read much about Kansas on the network of tunnels and houses that helped transport slaves to freedom.

"In order to understand the Underground Railroad, you need to have the experience from every location," Mull said. "All these places in the Midwest have been neglected for a very long time and now they're a part of this whole story that is coming out, and that's wonderful."

Mull and her husband took two days to travel from Ann Arbor, Mich. to attend the conference, visiting landmarks along the way. Mull said she took a historical tour Wednesday of Topeka to discover local stories that fold into the national tale.

"So often, they remain local," Mull said. "So we need to come to venues like this to discover the links."

Mull, who published a book this month titled "The Underground Railroad in Michigan," said understanding the local stories and how they tie into the national picture allows for a more complete view of history.

She used the noted abolitionist Brown, a controversial figure in history who led slaves along the Underground Railroad from Kansas to Canada, as an example. Mull said to understand Brown you need to know Michigan because he traveled through there with slaves.

"You can't just tell the story and say that a person went from one place to another and skip what happened in between," she said.

James Morgans, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, has written two books on the Underground Railroad, including one released in May called "The Underground Railroad on the Western Frontier."

Morgans said he visits Topeka regularly during his travels and is familiar with the deep-rooted history of the area. Kansas, he said, was instrumental in stifling the continued spread of slavery. Close to Topeka are such important locations as Lawrence, Lecompton and Holton, three towns that also helped Kansas' battle against slavery, Morgans said, which makes the capital city an ideal place to hold a national conference.

"You couldn't think of a better place than Topeka, as far as historical importance," Morgans said.